DISABLED motorists may have to pay to park in disabled spaces in borough car parks, under outline council plans.

DISABLED motorists may have to pay to park in disabled spaces in borough car parks, under outline council plans.

At present, Bridgend’s 11,573 blue badge users – who include wheelchair users and blind people – can park in the 10 council-run pay-and-display car parks in Bridgend and Porthcawl for free.

But they could soon have to pay just like everyone else after proposals to introduce charges were approved to go out to public consultation.

Bridgend County Borough Council argue the charges will help pay for more disabled spaces and better pay-and-display machines, as well as helping tackle fraudulent use of disabled parking.

But the decision met a wall of opposition from Conservative politicians and disability rights campaigners.

Tory Shadow Welsh Transport Minister Byron Davies said he had “serious concerns” about the idea, while wheelchair user and Bridgend Coalition of Disabled People chairman Simon Green called the proposal a “non-starter”.

The council said the charges would offset the £140,000 of upgrades needed to make car parks more accessible for blue badge users, which includes creating 59 new disabled spaces and upgrading pay-and-display machines.

Disabled parkers would also receive an extra hour of parking on whatever time they purchased under the plans.

But regional AM Mr Davies said the policy was targeted at one of the “most vulnerable and often poorest members of society”.

“They are trying to save face by claiming that the money is needed to improve facilities for disabled people,” he said.

“The council says that some of its pay-and-display machines are sub-standard and need replacing. Why make the disabled pay for new machines when everyone will use them?

“They should fund the £140,000 cost of this out of the profit they make on the car parks.

“The council has decided to consult on these proposals. I hope that everyone involved in that process will give them very clear views.”

Simon Green, chairman of the Bridgend Coalition of Disabled People, said his organisation was “fully against” the plans and echoed the call for people to speak up during the public consultation phase.

“This is a complete non-starter,” he said. “A lot of disabled people do not have a choice – if they want to go into town they can only use their car.

“Living as a disabled person costs a lot more anyway and lots of disabled people are having their benefits cut at the moment as well. This would just make it worse.”

The council proposes to increase the current 63 disabled spaces in their 10 pay-and-display car parks to 122 to meet the recommended 6% standard.

The biggest increases would be in the Rhiw Car Park (14), Brackla (24) and Hillsboro Car Park in Porthcawl (21).

They authority also plan to upgrade pay-and-display machines so they comply with disability regulations. A report by communities director Louise Fradd estimated that work would cost around £140,000.

“In order to improve the parking provision for blue badge holders (in terms of accessibility/ease of usage) consideration should be given to charging blue badge holders,” the report said.

It added that around half of Wales’ 22 local authorities already charge blue badge holders for off-street parking. The ideas were approved to go to public consultation on November 13.

There are currently 11,573 blue badge holders registered in Bridgend county borough. A recent survey indicated that 15% of them were being used fraudulently.

“This clearly reduces the spaces available for genuine blue badge holders, an issue which should be addressed,” Ms Fradd’s report said.

But Porthcawl councillor Ken Watts, of Newton, said: “The blue badge scheme is definitely being abused but it would be dreadful to impose charges on the vast majority of genuinely disabled people who use the car parks just to stamp this out.”

Cabinet member for communities Coun Phil White said: “Our report clearly states that we will be carrying out consultation on the proposals, but when you consider that the Government’s own welfare reforms are already having massive consequences for the most vulnerable and often poorest members of society, I think the majority of people are going to view the comments by Coun Watts and the regional AM as being more than a bit rich.”